Is California the only American region producing great wine? In this episode of IntoWineTV, host Lisa Kolenda and wine experts Bartholomew Broadbent and Pamela Busch convene at San Francisco's CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen for the tasting and discussion of 25 different American wines NOT from California. On what was one of the hottest San Francisco days in recent memory (for those of you unfamiliar with the city, few places have air conditioning in San Francisco), Lisa, Bartholomew, and Pamela weathered the elements and tasted a variety of wines -sparklers, whites, reds, unique varietals, and sweet dessert wines- from Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Oregon.
Theme: Underdog Wines. In this tasting IntoWine is featuring wines from American producers found outside the state of California.
Wine: 2005 McGregor Vineyard Black Russian Red ($59.99)
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Region: Finger Lakes Region, New York
Varietals: A blend of Saperavi and Sereksiya Charni
Alcohol %: 13.3%
Producer Notes:
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Saperavi is a very ancient winemaking grape and is currently primarily grown and produced in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Georgians claim that Saperavi often matures for 50 or more years in the bottle. McGregor is one of the few US producers of Saperavi.
Sereksiya Charni is even more obscure than Saperavi. It is grown around the Black and Caspian Seas in Ukraine, Armenia,, and Romenia. McGregor may possibly be the only grower and producer of this varietal in the Western Hemisphere.
A blend of Saperavi and Sereksiya Charni- McGREGORS ARE THE ONLY PRODUCERS OF SEREKSIYA CHARNI IN THE USA!!! This vintage is arguably one of the top Black Russians we've ever produced as it rivals the 1991 and 2001! The color is an intense, inky dark purple on the verge of black- it's hard to believe that a wine could have more concentration of color. The wine has aromas of plum, cranberry, elderberry and sweet oak. The wine is very smooth and full on the palate and has flavors of plum, cranberry, elderberry, blackberry and oak. The finish is very long lingering with nicely developed tannins. This wine is very approachable now and should age nicely in the bottle for a minimum of five years.
Experts:
Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO of Broadbent Selections. Bartholomew was named as one of the "fifty most influential people in the wine world" by Decanter Magazine. He is also widely considered to be one of the world's foremost authorities on Port and Madeira. Learn more about Bartholomew Broadbent.
Pamela Busch, Co-Owner and Wine Director at CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen in San Francisco. Learn more about Pamela Busch.
